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It seems from your article that a blazer now means a coloured flannel jacket, whether for cricket, tennis, boating, or seaside wear. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Where the blazer is part of the dress of a school, college, sports club, or armed service regimental association veterans' organization , it is normal for a badge to be sewn to the breast pocket. In the British Commonwealth, many regimental associations wear "regimental blazers" which also sport a similar badge on the breast pocket, usually in the form of a wire badge, and sometimes also regimental blazer buttons. They are seen with trousers of all colours and fabrics , from the classic white cotton or linen , to grey flannel , to brown or beige chinos , and also jeans.

Make sure the jacket is either a smooth-faced weave or something distinct from twill like hopsack, flannel, birdseye or nailhead. You may also want to consider avoiding the traditional metallic buttons — or you may like the contrast in your outfit. Metal buttons are more conservative and a bit preppy; plastic or mother-of-pearl buttons that match the jacket color or complement it more subtly are a more modern and urbane look.

Jeans and sports jackets lend themselves to natural contrasts. Jeans and blazers, on the other hand, both traditionally come in a deep blue shade. More unusual dark colors like gray or chocolate brown work for the jeans as well, although plain black is usually an awkward pairing for navy blue. Lighter shades of blue, grays, and more fashion-forward colors like white or red denim give a good contrast. Contrast between the blazer and the jeans is key. This is a deliberately dressed-down look.

It pairs well with anything from a lightly-patterned dress shirt and leather shoes to a fitted T-shirt and canvas sneakers. For a preppy look, throw on a red-striped necktie and choose a blazer with brass buttons. For something more contemporary wear a dark turtleneck or T-shirt and a blazer with matching-colored buttons.

It all just comes down to the image you want. The only things to steer clear of are any items that belong solidly to either conservative business wear or grungy street wear: T-shirts with graphic designs, athletic shoes go at least as dressy as a colored canvas sneaker , and so on.

A blazer and jeans outfit belongs to the comfortable middle ground, not to either extreme. In Summary, it can take a little hunting to find the right blazer and the right pair of jeans. They are seen with trousers of all colours and fabrics , from the classic white cotton or linen , to grey flannel , to brown or beige chinos , and also jeans.

A fitted, classically cut, double-breasted navy blue blazer with navy-style buttons is a popular design and sometimes referred to as a "reefer" blazer. Particularly in North America and the United Kingdom, it is now frequently used in business casual attire. Blazers, in a wide range of colours, are worn as part of school uniforms by many schools across the Commonwealth , and are still daily wear for most uniformed pupils in Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

These are blazers in the traditional sense: This style is also worn by some boat clubs, such as those in Cambridge or Oxford , with the piped version used only on special occasions such as a boat club dinner. In this case, the piping is in college colours , and college buttons are worn. This traditional style can be seen in many films set in the Edwardian era, such as Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Where the blazer is part of the dress of a school, college, sports club, or armed service regimental association veterans' organization , it is normal for a badge to be sewn to the breast pocket. In schools, this badge may vary according to the pupil's standing in the school: In the British Commonwealth, many regimental associations wear "regimental blazers" which also sport a similar badge on the breast pocket, usually in the form of a wire badge, and sometimes also regimental blazer buttons.

In the British army, officers do not normally wear badges on their blazers or boating jackets. Two regimental blazers will rarely be the same, as they are sourced from different civilian suppliers and are not issued by any authority.

This results from the fact that the members of the association are no longer serving personnel, but civilians, though still retaining the bond that the badge represents. The standard colour is navy blue, although in some associations different colours are worn, such as rifle green for the associations of rifle regiments.

Blazers, once commonly worn playing or attending traditional "gentlemen's sports", persist in only some games now, such as occasional use by tennis players, or in cricket, where in professional matches, such as international test matches, it is considered customary for the captain to wear a blazer with the team's logo or national coat of arms on the breast pocket — at least during the coin toss at the beginning of the match.

The former event awards a crimson blazer to the winner of several flights of match race sailing of the highest international calibre, while the latter awards a green blazer to the top Masters golfer in the USA. The sartorial term blazer originated with the red "blazers" of the Lady Margaret Boat Club , the rowing club of St. The Lady Margaret club jackets were termed blazers because of the bright red cloth, and the term survived the original red coat.

A writer to the London Daily News 22 August commented that "In your article of to-day … you speak of 'a striped red and black blazer', 'the blazer', also of 'the pale toned' ones … A blazer is the red flannel boating jacket worn by the Lady Margaret, St.

John's College, Cambridge, Boat Club. When I was at Cambridge it meant that and nothing else. It seems from your article that a blazer now means a coloured flannel jacket, whether for cricket, tennis, boating, or seaside wear.

These early blazers were like later sports jackets, but this term has never referred to blazers, instead describing jackets derived from the later innovation of wearing odd jackets for land-based sports. Assertions that the name is derived from HMS Blazer are not borne out by contemporary sources, although it is reported that before the standardization of uniform in the Royal Navy , the crew of HMS Blazer wore "striped blue and white jackets", [2] apparently in response to the sailors of HMS Harlequin being turned out in harlequin suits.

The reefer jacket was of naval origin, and described the short double-breasted jacket worn by sailors in harsh weather, when they performed duties such as reefing the sails. It is descendants of this which are now commonly described by the term blazer. Originally with black horn buttons, these jackets evolved to the modern dark blazer, now single as well as double breasted, and with metallic buttons.

The blazer, in its essence, will always be considered as a slightly more formal option, adding a certain sharpness to an outfit. If you’re thinking about wearing one casually then check out our guide to see how it’s done. Read more Men’s Style Guide features and check out our Store. The. There's ample proof the traditional blazer can be spun every which way, so there's really a shape, hue, and style to suit everyone. Click through to see how Instagram's most stylish women are. The key to blazer style is knowing where it is you’re going and for what purpose it is required. But don’t stress. This piece of sartorial cloth rides well with flexibility. Dressed up.